Revised July 2010

About My Decision To Get A Guide Dog

By

Leonard A. McHugh

I am frequently asked questions about Indy, my
Freedom Guide Dog
. People want to know where he was trained and if I had any difficulty learning to work with
him. I had always used a cane to get around and never saw the need for a guide dog in the
first place. After all, my cane was extremely low maintenance. It never needed to be fed,
or cleaned up or taken to a vet. I always liked dogs, but I was a little skeptical
about trusting one with my life. It wasn't until after being discharged from
a year of physical therapy following my surgery that I even entertained the
thought of acquiring a dog. Because of all the complications during
my surgery and after it, I lost a great deal of strength and coordination in my arms and
hands. Even after intense physical therapy, I only regained about forty percent use of my
left arm. The cane that I had relied on for so long was now
totally useless for me. If I were to regain any amount of independence and self-reliance I had two choices:
either wait for others to assist me or
break down and look into a guide dog. I chose the latter. It turned out not to be as
easily accomplished as I had imagined.

Because of my physical limitations, all of the well-known schools for training guide dogs
that I had contacted turned me down. It wasn't until I came in contact with Eric Loori,
the trainer for Freedom Guide Dogs,
that my hope of independent travel was restored. He assured me that he could find a dog that
could be trained to work with my limitations.

In April 1998, Eric came to my house with Indy to begin the two-week training program. It
didn't take long for Indy to work his way into my heart and life. Six months later,
we were a great working team, and I was sorry that I didn't look into guide dogs thirty
years ago
Now I can't imagine what my life would be like without him.

Before I had Indy, I needed someone to drive me to the barbershop and after getting my
hair cut, I would sometimes walk the mile or so trip back home using my cane. The walk
home would take me about an hour. Now, Indy and I can make the trip in fifteen minutes.
Since I no longer need to have someone drive me to the shop, we often make it
a round trip excursion. We even made it there and back during a snowstorm.
With several inches on the ground and more falling, it would have been an impossible task
using only my cane.
Indy and I made it in forty minutes.

I have my lighthearted moments with Indy too. As part of his training, Indy follows
commands such as "find outside"
where he will look for a door with a handle, or "find a seat" leading me to an available
chair. Unfortunately, he is indiscriminate in his selections of either. At a restaurant
located in a mall, the "find outside" command led me to a freezer door with a handle and
"find a seat" found me in an empty chair at a table of strangers having dinner. Even
buying a lottery ticket caused a few chuckles when Indy, not knowing the concept of waiting
your turn, given the command to "find the counter" did just that. The people waiting in line
just laughed about it and told me to go ahead of them when they realized what had
happened.

Indy also possesses a keen sense of awareness. A friend's mother had passed away
and my friend was having a difficult time dealing with the loss. At the funeral, Indy kept
watching her from across the room because she was crying and so upset. When it came time
to pay final respects, Indy took me straight to her instead of following the line up to the
casket. It was like he wanted to let her know that we both came to express our sympathy and
support.

When I walk down the street I often can hear people saying, "Here comes Indy." --
somewhere along the line I lost my identity. People open doors for Indy; something they
seldom did when it was just my cane and me. With Indy, I don't need as much outside help
and I'm getting it in abundance. When I did need the help, I didn't get enough of it.

In talking about Indy and other guide dogs, either to individuals or to groups, I stress
how important it is not to approach a guide dog while he is "working." People are
constantly coming up to Indy trying to give him a treat or pet him while he is in harness.
In fact I joke about changing his name to "Babe Magnet" because of all the females
he attracts. They all want to pet him or talk to him. There are even some who try to hug
and kiss him when he is supposed to be working. A guide dog has an awesome responsibility
to the blind person he is with. Their lives literally depend on that dog's judgment and
concentration. Being distracted in any way could result in horrific consequences. Most of the general public is not
consciously aware of this and need to be educated in this regard.

I believe that Indy is truly part of God's plan. He was born about two weeks prior to my
surgery and was in training about the time I decided that I truly
wanted a guide dog. Also it was a strange circumstance that I found Freedom Guide Dogs
and their wonderful timing to expand into Pennsylvania. I
don't
believe that the timing of these events are just a coincidence but part of a great
master plan.

Below are two pictures of Lenny McHugh with his Freedom Guide Dog, Indy.